My Circumcision Story

Gael23

Cut_Away wrote: »

yeah I think I will have to go to the gp to get a steroid cream prescription...the lines where the stitches seem to have burst seem to be healing though.....but I will go just to make sure everything is fine

Redness and itching can also be a sign of problems. I would go if it was me, gp will want to take a look but will be done in 10 seconds, literally.

kaji

Can anyone help me - i had/have phimosis. I couldn't retract my foreskin so I went to the GP years ago. He prescribed me steroid cream so I used that and was able to retract the foreskin fully. However, it's still 'stiff' when erect- it doesn't roll up and down smoothly. It kinda gets stuck but not anything like cutting off blood supply. I really want a circumcision at this stage- hate my foreskin now. If I go to the doctor and show him (new GP) my foreskin seems fine when not erect. Will he just dismiss me?

LegacyUser

Hey all

I am suffering freneulum Breve, even my GP has agreed,but I think he downplays the severity as he is not a urologist. He seems to think it will fix itself via tearing (!) Where can i get some actionable advice in Dublin? Left this long enough.

kaji

Does anyone know what the cheapest VHI plan for getting circumcision covered and payed for? I'm with a cheap plan no without many bebefits but have been with them for 5 years so I think I can say that this is a new problem/previously undeclared

Gael23

kaji wrote: »

Does anyone know what the cheapest VHI plan for getting circumcision covered and payed for? I'm with a cheap plan no without many bebefits but have been with them for 5 years so I think I can say that this is a new problem/previously undeclared

Do you know the name of your plan? It could be a case tht you just have to py an excess but it depends on what plan you have. Got stung with that before, downgraded policy and then bang, I develops a health issue which left us out of pocket considerably, moved it back up now needless to say.

Murderer84 wrote: »

Be warned, masturbation without lube when circumcised is awful. On the plus side if you are addicted to master bating you'll find yourself less likely to master bate as it's not as pleasurable.

Also, since being circumcised I find it very difficult to control when I or gas when having sex, so essentially I am now an inferior lover.

I was circumcised before puberty so I know no different! You just need to use a lubricant to masturbate but I find it good once that's done:D You do just have to let the orgasm happen though as you have less control, not sure why that is.

kaji

Has anyone gone to the Arte Novi clinic in Malahide? I'm considering it but need to know what kind of place it is and if they're professional.

tolow

I made an appointment with my gp back in October, he told me I was suffering with phimosis and he reckoned I needed a circumcision. I had an appointment with the urology dept in Tallaght hospital just before xmas and I was told I would be seen by the end of January. I called up Tallaght hospital yesterday and they informed me that the waiting list is actually eight months long. Needless to say I'm a little pi**ed off by it!!

My phimosis appears to be getting worse and having sex is almost completely out of the question now!! It's also difficult to retract the foreskin enough while washing that I'm not able to clean fully.

I'm just wondering is there any way in which I can speed up been seen by the hospital? I don't have any heath insurance!!

Cheers in advance.

Gael23

tolow wrote: »

I made an appointment with my gp back in October, he told me I was suffering with phimosis and he reckoned I needed a circumcision. I had an appointment with the urology dept in Tallaght hospital just before xmas and I was told I would be seen by the end of January. I called up Tallaght hospital yesterday and they informed me that the waiting list is actually eight months long. Needless to say I'm a little pi**ed off by it!!

My phimosis appears to be getting worse and having sex is almost completely out of the question now!! It's also difficult to retract the foreskin enough while washing that I'm not able to clean fully.

I'm just wondering is there any way in which I can speed up been seen by the hospital? I don't have any heath insurance!!

Cheers in advance.

You could pay to see the consultant in the private clinic but you will still have to wait for the surgery

USD Inflation Swap

I think I'm beginning to regret getting the circumcision now, I miss having a foreskin. Though apparently it was so inflamed that they ran tests on my foreskin after the procedure to check for anything sinister. Presume they meant cancer.

JaseBelleVie

I can't believe I'm going to tell this story, but here goes anyway. This is for guys who think that a tight foreskin and/or tight frenulum always equals "circumcision".

For starters, I have a fairly long foreskin. There's a lot of it. But I also suffered from frenulum breve. It made it impossible for me to fully retract my foreskin, made sex/masturbation painful sometimes and was just a nightmare. But, of course, I kept it a secret for ages. I was embarrassed and ashamed of the condition. Also, internet searches did nothing to assuage my concerns; the only course of treatment appeared to be a full circumcision and I did not want that.

I kept researching, however. I wanted to solve this problem and I wanted to be able to avoid getting circumcised. Eventually, I found out that there were/are surgical techniques that can be used that will allow relief from the condition.

I was 18 before I went to my GP and explained what was wrong. He examined me and told me the options. I vehemently opposed getting circumcised, and in fairness to him he didn't push it. I suggested the technique that I had "discovered" online and queried whether it would work. The procedure was a frenuloplasty, which is basically where small incisions are made in the frenulum, the frenulum is stretched to lengthen it and the incision is then closed to allow it to heal. It just makes your frenulum breve into just normal frenulum!

I was lucky that the procedure was covered by my parents' health insurance plan and I was able to get it done at a private clinic. It was done in like 10 minutes.

I was sweating and nervous and ready to faint before the procedure. But apart from the mild pinch of the local anaesthetic injection into my penis, I never felt a thing. For some reason, I opted for a local instead of them putting me out cold completely.

There was a shawl thing and a small screen covering from my stomach down, so I couldn't see what the surgeon was doing. Thanks to the anaesthetic, I felt nothing, but I could definitely sense movement and so on. The surgical assistant who was there could sense my nerves getting the better of me. He started light-hearted chatting and talking about football and other such stuff. It really, REALLY helped me. Before I knew it, the procedure was over, I was sutured up, bandaged up and ready to go home!

I had to refrain from sexual activity of any kind for six weeks afterwards. For an 18 year old, that was very hard (pardon the pun). Lukewarm baths, watching the sutures, keeping an eye on things and so on.

After a final check up, and it was all confirmed to be a success after 6 weeks of healing. It was seriously the best thing I had ever done. My penis looked and felt so much more normal! I had no pain or discomfort during sex or masturbation. For the first time in my life, I was able to get my foreskin fully retracted without any pinching or pain.

I found a few things very helpful:

-wear cotton briefs/y-fronts in the immediate future after the surgery; keeps things relatively motionless and secure.
-lukewarm baths are incredibly soothing and relaxing after the surgery and also keep the genital area clean.
-avoid anything remotely sexual following the operation. Even the Argos catalogue has lingerie pictures in it, so avoid!
-Don't take aspirin (thins the blood and can increase the chances of bleeding)
-Don't rush things. Starting too quick back into masturbating or sex can lead to unpleasantness that is best left to the imagination.
-There's no need for an immediate check up after the surgery, but I got one after a week just for my own peace of mind from my GP.
-Your penis will appear slightly different in the region of the surgery. This is normal and don't worry about it.
-Bruising and small bloodspots are normal. Only if there is persistent pain and bruising that fails to heal and so on is there a cause for concern.

However, this is all personal to me! Everyone is different. For me, I just couldn't bear to get a full circumcision, so I opted for the frenuloplasty. Other people may need a full circumcision.

Choose what feels the most right for you and also get advice from your GP and urologist. But don't suffer with it for longer than you have to.

Iderown

Well done, JaseBelleVie and thank you for detailing your story.
I also am puzzled by the apparent general ignorance of anything other than full circumcision to get relief from short frenulum and/or phimosis.
My story is here. In short, I was circumcised shortly after birth. Spent many years hating the result. Used skin expansion techniques to "grow" what looks and performs very like a real foreskin.
It must be possible to correct slight to moderate phimosis by skin expansion techniques and to avoid surgery.

JaseBelleVie

I was hemming and hawing about whether I should post my story up or not. Glad I did now, as it might help someone! But yeah, I always had trouble when I was in my teens. I never dared to bring it up to my parents. Only when I was going in for the surgery did I say I needed a small "procedure" done. Of course they were concerned, but I said it was in a sensitive area, and they didn't question it any more!

I shudder to think what might have become of me had I not gone mad researching everything I could. Had I just gone into my GP cold, he might have recommended circumcision and not knowing any better, I probably would have agreed and gone for it.

It is seriously one of the best things I have ever done. Sex and masturbation became absolutely unreal after the operation was done. Before it, I was always very nervous and cautious as I was afraid of pain. I also could never truly and properly wash under my foreskin before this. So it had hygiene benefits too.

It does take a while for things to fully heal down there, and it is an absolute essential part of it not to do anything sexual until it's fully healed. And believe me, when you get the all clear and when you're all ready again, make sure you have either your significant other on notice or a brilliant porno at the ready!

kaji

I'm booked in for a circumcision and frenuloplasty in mid February! Aaagghhh! it's finally going ahead. Goodbye tight foreskin forever. Can I ask a weird question- do you have to have an erection when showing your penis to the surgeon on the day of the op? Because to me, it makes more sense to drawe a line then and not when it's soft. I want a straight cut going across- don't want it to be wonky.

Waestrel

Hello all

I went to a clinic in north county dublin and the doc there recommended a circumcision. It seems to be needed in my case, simple stretching or frenuplasty wont solve what I got. THere is very mixed messages on this thread, some who say it changed their life for the better and those who deeply regretted it. I dont think I have any other option, I hope I am doing the right thing.

kaji

12 days to go to my circumcision and frenuloplasty. I'm getting nervous. Getting it done on a Thursday and back to work on the Monday. Hope I'll be ok

Gael23

kaji wrote: »

12 days to go to my circumcision and frenuloplasty. I'm getting nervous. Getting it done on a Thursday and back to work on the Monday. Hope I'll be ok

Could be a touch on the ambitious side to be honest. Do it of you feel ready but you might not be

kaji

I work in an office type place so I thought I could get away with it. Hopefully I won't be in agony... Should I expose the head for a few days before the op? To try and desensitise it?

stree

Hi all going unreg or anonymous on this one..! I am one of the few, am now mid thirties with bugger all sex history, one or two very drunken and painful encounters back in the day that are half remembered , but a famine for ten years + until now some light at the end of the tunnel am seeing a really great girl so we will see what happens .
I definitely have phimosis and am wondering - will sex hurt ? Can you manage with phimosis etc ? Will i bother or hold off until I get a docs view and a probable circ however long that may be ? All help welcome here thanks.

JaseBelleVie

stree wrote: »

Hi all going unreg or anonymous on this one..! I am one of the few, am now mid thirties with bugger all sex history, one or two very drunken and painful encounters back in the day that are half remembered , but a famine for ten years + until now some light at the end of the tunnel am seeing a really great girl so we will see what happens .
I definitely have phimosis and am wondering - will sex hurt ? Can you manage with phimosis etc ? Will i bother or hold off until I get a docs view and a probable circ however long that may be ? All help welcome here thanks.

Go to your doctor. See if an option other than a full circumcision is available.

I know that pain. I had a tight frenulum (not the exact same thing, but) and it made sex and masturbation uncomfortable at best, painful at worst. It also had a negative effect on hygiene, as it was impossible to fully clean under the foreskin.

Leave circumcision as the final option; preputioplasty is an option that may work and would mean you'd keep your foreskin. But 100% visit your GP and get his opinion and go to see a urologist/andrologist if need be.

andyirish

Don't wait go to the doctor and get the necessary job done. I was in the same boat. But believe me it made so much of a difference both in bed and life. Now I am able to enjoy sex which was always associated with pain before. I got a reference from GP who referred me to a urologist. the check up with urologist was quick he asked couple of questions like how long have been sexually active, does the foreskin go back during masturbation etc. It was nothing awkward. After which he did a quick examination of my mickey and especially the foreskin. He then explained about the circumcision procedure in detail and told me what was involved also told me why should get it done. I went private with the operation and got it done within two weeks. Just to be on a safe side I took two weeks off after the operation and it healed up pretty well. The tool was ready to put to use in 4 weeks time. At first the urologist told me to masturbate and told me to get in touch with him if the erection was painful. Luckily there was none. After the first masturbation post circumcision I had the follow up check up with the Urologist and he examined the tool and said that it is can be put use. The only thing post circumcision was I had to use lube for both masturbation and sex and I noticed that my erections are longer.

My suggestion would be not to delay this any longer otherwise you will miss your entire sex life.

kaji

So...it finally happened....I was circumcised yesterday.

I am off work today but back on Monday. I feel ok. I was really nervous about going in, freaking out in fact. The doctor/surgeon spoke to me and calmed me down. He explained that it's a simple op. I have phimosis but was prescribed steroid cream years ago which helped loosen the scarred ring on my foreskin but it was always tight when my penis was hard. Anyway, I had seen a lot of people recommending a high and tight cut but the surgeon told me that it wouldn't look good on me because of my red inner skin and pale outer skin, he said it wouldn't look great and that a low and tight circumcision would be better for me.

He injected something into my arm and next thing I woke up and he was all done. My penis was bandaged but he let me see part of it and it actually looked fine! I was expecting something a lot worse. He cut it just underneath the head and it looks really nice and neat. I can see the stitches if I pull the skin back slightly, but it seems that no one will see my scar unless I'm hard (I've yet to see what it looks like hard, that will take a few more weeks- I don't want to burst the stitches). The only thing that looks kind of disgusting is the back of the penis where the frenulum was. The top bit of the frenulum is still there but the rest if all swollen so it's lucky that I can't see that unless I lift my penis up. Hopefully the swelling will go down and it will look ok.

I slept ok last night, got a few hard ons which were very painful but woke up today and only had a small bit of blood of my bandage so don't think I burst any stitches or anything. I'm looking forward to seeing how it heals. I can't wait to see how it looks erect. The whole thing cost me €950. Was such a bargain.

OneAndTheSame

Hi there Kaji. I had mine done in Malahide on Thursday morning. Had a very similar experience to yours. Area under the head is the only disturbing thing - very swollen with purple looking tissue exposed. I was told to expect this however.

Back to work on Monday. My biggest concern is the sensitivity of the glands to fabric. I had never exposed my head before the surgery and even the slightest touch is super sensitive right now. You having any issues with this?

Thanks.

kaji

Sent you a PM Oneandthesame

kaji

extremphonixx wrote: »

Hey Kaji,

Think ill be getting this done myself pretty soon, i was looking at Malahide but not sure

hows the healing going?? did you manage work today??

Yeah, work was ok. Was just aware of my penis at all times but wasn't painful. This was was 4th day after getting cut. I got it done at Malahide too. He gave me a low cut so it's the head of the penis then just the outer skin. Almost no inner skin is left. To be honest, I think it looks hot. I see a lot of guys online with high cuts and the inner skin is left and it's very pink/red raw. I don't think that looks good. I like how mine looks and look forward to trying it out. Just gotta wait a bit longer. I can email u pics if u want.

HalloweenJack

Hey guys, I'm down for the operation on the 16th of April. It's Thursday and I plan to return to work on the Monday. Do you reckon this is possible?

I'll have a proper look through the thread later on but just wondering if I could get some quick info on this: I was originally diagnosed with phimosis but today when I got the confirmation for the operation they told me it was a little bit of phimosis and that the problem was more to do with my frenulum. They said they were going to take it all off afterwards. Can anybody share any light on that? Will it make any difference?

Wibbs

If you want to preserve as much of your penis function as possible HJ, I'd personally ask for a second opinion as there is an operation that relaxes the frenulum which is a lot less invasive and removes no tissue. Indeed my interest in this subject was first kicked off by a mate who like you was told he needed it "all off", but he was hesitant and sought out other opinions. The third opinion suggested no and what he actually needed was the frenulum op. Which was a success, with little downtime for healing and he's had a couple of kids since so... It surprised him(and me) how quick the more "extreme" procedure was promoted by doctors. It surprises me still TBH.

HalloweenJack

What do you mean by preserve penis function?

Wibbs

Well HJ the foreskin is a complex and large part of the tissue and function of the penis that evolved for a reason, it's not just a "piece of skin", so it would make sense to preserve as much tissue as possible to get the result you want. Now obviously some guys have a foreskin that requires removal because no other medical options are available and their foreskin is a real hinderance in their lives and that's great and it gives them back that part of their lives and body, but if you're not one of those guys and a less invasive method returns full function to your penis then surely that's the better bet? Put it another very few men with a healthy functioning penis would elect to have their foreskin removed unless for religious/cultural reasons.

Just adding a counterpoint to the go for the full circumcision vibe.

HalloweenJack

Well yeah, my preference would be to avoid any kind surgery but it's been nine months since my problems first started.

At first, I was fobbed off by regular doctors, just told to wash and stretch it. Later when I went back, I was given antibiotics. I went back again and was given some cream and sent for blood tests before the doctor would decide what to do. It got worse in that time so went back and got a date with the urologist. Again, I was told to wash it and clean it. Have been doing that for the last few months but it's not improving so went back to the urologist today. He looked at the case, had a look at the problem and recommended circumcision.

They gave me an info pack about the operation and reading through it, they say that a circumcision is standard for phimosis (this is with the Spanish HSE, could be different at home) and that an elongation operation is normal for problems with the frenulum. On the paper, it has his diagnosis and he's put down phimosis and short frenulum and his recommendation is a circumcision.

Wibbs

Maybe ask him about preputioplasty(NSFW) if your phimosis isn't severe? Then again you've needed antibiotics so that sounds like a real pain for you. Best of luck with whatever you do and hope you get back normal soon.